🟡 Attachment - Role of the Father

Question 1

Historically, what was the role of the father

Answer 1

Historically, the father was often working and the mother was usually with the child all day meaning there was no real attachment with father and infant

Question 2

Fathers Morden day role

Answer 2

In western cultures, the expectation is that the father has a greater role in bringing up the child, many mothers work full time now meaning fathers have a more active role

Question 3

What was Grossman 2002 aims

Answer 3

Conducted a longitudinal study looking at both parents behaviour and it’s relationship to the quality of attachment

Question 4

Findings of grossman

Answer 4

Mother - quality of attachments with infants related to children’s attachments in adolescence

Father - quality of fathers play with infants was related to their attachments in adolescence

Fathers role in attachment is related to play rather than mother is nurturing

Question 5

Adolescence

Answer 5

Period following onset of puberty when the child transitions from child to adult

Question 6

Field 1978 - method

Answer 6

Filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver mothers , secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers

Question 7

Field 1978 - results

Answer 7

Primary caregiver fathers (like mothers) spent more time smiling, imitating and holding the infant than secondary caregiver fathers

Question 8

Field 1978 - conclusion

Answer 8

The key to attachment is level of responsiveness not gender of parent

Question 9

2 negatives of role of father

Answer 9

Inconsistent findings
Children without father?

Question 10

Inconsistent findings

Answer 10

The research can be confusing. Some research is into role of father in secondary attachment and some primary. FORMER found fathers have a distinct role from mothers and behave differently. LATTER found fathers can take on a more “maternal” role

Question 11

Children without fathers

Answer 11

Maccallum and golombok 2004

Found children growing up in same sex and single parent families don’t develop differently. Suggesting role of father as a secondary attachment figure is not important

Question 12

What may cause father to have secondary attachment

Answer 12

• population , majority mothers stay at home so may feel pressured to do so
• economy, paid paternity leave only introduced in 2002
• stereotypes